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The frustration at finding the right solution for a “perfect” skin drove actor Christian Bables to create his own skincare brand.

The “Die Beautiful” star admitted that his job’s high demand for that glowing skin was a major consideration that led him to plan his own brand that took four years in the making.

“Ganito pala ‘yung feeling nang nanganganak, ganito palang pakiramdam, ‘di ba?” Christian said at his own skincare brand’s launch.

“Kidding aside, ang sarap sa pakiramdam kasi this is four years in the making. And finally, I felt like it was ready to present WildSkyn to the public,” he added.

In a world of glitter and glamor and where beauty is a premium, Christian revealed his own insecurity about his skin.

“Ako din ay may sariling skin struggles. So, ang tagal ko nang gustong ma-solusyunan, e, wala akong mahanap,” he said.

The actor confided about his struggle on embracing his own skin marked with an uneven skintone and acne marks in an Instagram post.

He said that there were brands that almost addressed his skin issues, but those did not help him achieve the glow that he wanted. Thus, he pursued his own skincare brand.

Apart from addressing his skin woes, Christian said that establishing his own brand is his gift for himself.

“I’m in an industry where perfection is a must. And sadly, I’m not perfect. I’m far from being perfect. And, it took me a very long time to finally accept that,” he said.

“So, finally, nung na-accept ko na siya… ako mismo nag-hanap ako ng solusyon doon sa problems ko,” he added.

When asked why he named the brand WildSkyn, Christian said, “Because confidence and healing doesn’t always come pretty. Sometimes, or most of the time, it comes wild. So WildSkyn.”

“And trivia, I came up with WildSkyn while I was eating at Wildflour.”

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is hiking power rates by P0.2331 per kilowatt-hour this month due to higher generation costs, bringing the overall rate to P13.3182 per kWh.

The adjustment translates to an increase of about P47 in the electricity bills of typical households consuming 200 kWh.

At a press briefing yesterday, Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said the rate hike was due to a P0.19 per kWh rise in generation charges, or the cost of power procured from energy suppliers.

Charges from power supply agreements (PSAs) and independent power producers (IPPs) both increased due to peso depreciation, while those from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) went down amid the improved supply-demand condition.

This month’s generation charge also reflects the impact of the interim extension of Meralco’s 1,000-megawatt power purchase agreement, as approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

The IPPs, PSAs and WESM, respectively, accounted for 21 percent, 74 percent and five percent of the company’s total energy requirement for the period.

Transmission charges, or the cost of transporting electricity from power plants to distribution systems, were higher by P0.0114 per kWh due to increased wheeling rates. Similarly, taxes and other charges registered a total increase of P0.0314 per kWh.

Meralco remits taxes and other charges to the government, while it pays pass-through charges for generation and transmission to power suppliers and the grid operator.

The distribution charge, the only portion that goes to Meralco, stood at P0.036 per kWh.

Softening the blow of this month’s rate hike is the ongoing implementation of a refund equivalent to around P0.2024 per kWh for residential customers.

With the recent earthquakes across the country, Meralco has assured its eight million customers that it is actively implementing measures to strengthen the resilience of its distribution network.

‘First and foremost, we are investing heavily in our distribution resiliency program. We have continuously upgraded all our facilities – from poles to wires to substations,’ Zaldarriaga said.

About P6.3 billion worth of illegal drugs were seized in 64 anti-narcotics operations nationwide from Oct. 3 to 10, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency reported yesterday.

The PDEA said the operations also resulted in the arrest of 82 drug suspects.

According to the PDEA, the illegal drug haul included over 910 kilos of shabu seized in separate operations in Pangasinan, Zamboanga del Sur, Davao del Sur and other key provinces, as well as 63.5 kilos of dried marijuana leaves and bricks, 17,330 marijuana stalks in Benguet and Kalinga, 11.8 kilos of cocaine in Palawan and 950 grams of ketamine in Pasay City.

Hilton Manila Newport World Resorts proudly marked Travel with Purpose Week 2025 with a series of meaningful initiatives that reflect Hilton’s global commitment to responsible travel and positive social impact.

Through purposeful action, Team Members championed community engagement, environmental stewardship, and sustainable hospitality across various locations throughout Mega Manila, reaching diverse communities and creating tangible impact where it matters most.

The week began with empowering youth through culinary skills training at Don Bosco Pugad Center in Makati. Team members mentored scholars aged 17 to 24 from underserved communities, sharing career insights and hands-on pastry-making skills to inspire confidence and future opportunities in hospitality.

Midweek, Hilton Manila Newport World Resorts team members turned their attention to the Pasay Social Development Center, where they revitalized the community playground by repainting structures and refreshing a mural originally created by volunteers in 2018.

The transformation brought new life to the space, creating a safe and vibrant environment where abused and abandoned children can begin to heal and thrive.

The spirit of giving continued the next day with Feeding Hope: Community Kitchen, held in partnership with Scholars of Sustenance Philippines at Sta. Ana Church.

Team members and volunteers came together to prepare and distribute nourishing meals to 150 individuals from vulnerable communities-including inmates at the nearby detention center-addressing food insecurity while advancing food rescue efforts and promoting responsible consumption. On October 2, Hilton Manila Newport World Resorts Team Members joined Conrad Manila and the Dumagat Tribe in planting 1,000 cacao seedlings around Angat-Ipo Dam, which supplies 90% of Metro Manila’s water.

The initiative strengthened watershed protection and created sustainable livelihood opportunities for the Dumagat community through cacao farming and the production of traditional tablea. An appreciation meal was also shared to honor the tribe’s role as stewards of the land.

The week concluded with Greens in the City: Herb Gardening at the hotel’s sixth-floor garden, where team members planted herbs and ornamentals to promote urban sustainability, culinary freshness and eco-conscious practices.

‘Travel with Purpose is not just a program-it’s a reflection of who we are and what we stand for,’ said Gagan Talwar, General Manager of Hilton Manila Newport World Resorts. ‘This week reminded us that hospitality goes beyond service; it’s about uplifting communities, protecting our environment, and creating moments that matter. I’m incredibly proud of our team members for leading with compassion and purpose.’

Akari showed its shock five-set victory over powerhouse Creamline was no fluke after it caught another big fish in Chery Tiggo with a gripping 25-11, 22-25, 29-27, 17-25, 15-7 victory Tuesday in the PVL Reinforced Conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Annie Mitchem, Eli Soyud and Ced Domingo conspired by firing 17, 17 and 16 points, respectively, as the Chargers zoomed to the Group B lead with a pristine 2-0 record.

It was a win that came on the heels of another cliffhanger, a 23-25, 25-23, 30-28, 23-25, 15-12 squeaker over the Cool Smashers, the reigning champions and the league’s yardstick, Saturday in Dasmariñas.

But more important than the result was the significant improvement that Akari coach Tina Salak saw in his squad.

‘I saw the character, growth and composure of the team improved, the team is starting to mature,’ she said.

In those two matches, Akari could have easily wilted under pressure against a pair of franchises that have already won it all with Creamline boasting 10 crowns and Chery Tiggo reigning supreme in the Bacarra bubble several years back.

But it did not.

‘Everyday, we have a mindset that we want to prove ourselves,’ said Domingo.

It was the Crossovers’ second straight defeat.

The Abuno Elementary School football team secured a berth to the Lapu-Lapu City Palaro Meet next month.

This after the aspiring young booters of Abuno emerged as Unit Meet champions after pulling off a 5-4 nailbiter over Pajo ES in their thrilling final match at the Haven of Peace grounds recently.

Abuno, reinforced by Spencer Sven Lomadilla, McJohnston Singh, and Lexon Yu from Einstein School of Cebu, went through two deadlocks, the last was at 3-all, before pulling away, 5-3, for good, to come out as gold medallists.

Devin Jasper Gildo delivered a hat-trick, while Zhou Icarus Malingin and Nate Laurence Aparece were the other scorers for Abuno under the guidance of coaches Jupre Aparece and John Dave Regner with full support from their teachers Airene Godinez, Marife Linao, and Junabelle Ompad.

The other members of the team are Mark Daniel Bacla-an, Asriel Josh Heredia, Macken Jabellana, Quint Earl Calvo, Jun Clark Labasan, James Abellana, Andrie Jay Fuentes, Xian Carl Abaño, Derek Heredia, Daniel Daño, Rujelwin Llavore, Kent Jersey Baguio, John Paul de los Reyes, Covie Dela Cruz, and Clint Eric Almerol.

Up next for the spirited Abuno soccer players is the Lapu-Lapu City Division Meet on November 3-4 where they will vie for a spot in the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) Meet 2026.

Oil companies raised pump prices again today, marking the eighth increase in gasoline rates in nine weeks.

In separate advisories, Jetti, Seaoil, Petron and PTT Philippines announced a P0.30-per-liter increase in gasoline prices and a P0.20-per-liter rollback for kerosene.

Diesel prices, meanwhile, remain unchanged.

‘Diesel held firm even while slightly easing, with movement mirroring broader crude markets, which steadied on the lower-than-expected OPEC+ output increases in November,’ said Jetti president Leo Bellas.

‘Gasoline remained supported due to rising domestic demand from China and India, as well as strong spot demand from Indonesia,’ he added.

With the latest adjustments, the year-to-date net increases now stand at P15.20 per liter for gasoline, P17.85 for diesel and P5.45 for kerosene.

Last week, oil firms hiked diesel prices by P0.80 per liter and gasoline and kerosene by P0.20 per liter each.

The Philippines has emerged as a leading catalyst in Southeast Asia’s renewable energy (RE) transition through 2030, according to the International Energy Agency.

The latest IEA report showed that the Philippines, alongside Vietnam and Indonesia, would boost the region’s RE surge, with major capacity gains expected between 2025 and 2030.

In particular, the Philippines is poised to add around 15 gigawatts (GW) of new RE capacity, with solar and onshore wind making up 90 percent of the expansion.

‘This represents a five-GW (around 50 percent) increase over the previous forecast, owing to completed and ongoing competitive auctions,’ the IEA said.

Recently, the Department of Energy (DOE) attracted over 9,400 megawatts (MW) of capacity during the fourth green energy auction (GEA-4) round, with delivery dates between 2026 and 2029.

GEA-4 covers ground-mounted solar, roof-mounted solar, floating solar, onshore wind and integrated solar with energy storage systems.

This followed the successful bidding of over 6,000 MW of impounding hydro, pumped storage hydro and geothermal contracts under GEA-3.

‘If challenges such as grid connection delays, high financing costs, land access restrictions and permitting bottlenecks are addressed, growth could be 90 percent higher, putting the country on track to exceed its targeted 35 percent renewable electricity share by 2030,’ the IEA said.

Currently, renewables account for only 22 percent of the Philippines’ power mix, with coal remaining dominant at about 63 percent.

To ensure the timely delivery of new RE projects, the DOE is looking to allow power producers to build associated transmission facilities.

The move is designed to support effective grid integration of new projects and address constraints in the transmission network.

Across the region, ASEAN countries are on track to add over 95 GW of new RE capacity over the next five years, the IEA said.

Notably, more than half of these additions are likely to come from solar photovoltaic projects.

According to the IEA, Vietnam leads ASEAN’s RE growth and accounts for over 40 percent of total capacity additions, followed by Indonesia at 20 percent.

Both countries are expected to accelerate their expansion efforts through 2030.

The deadliest natural calamity is a powerful earthquake. Worse, in some instances, tsunami is also unleashed after a major ground tremor. Earthquakes and tsunamis have taken the lives of thousands of victims in our recorded history due to collapsed structures, landslides, simultaneous fires and mass hysteria.

In the Philippines, we have witnessed the devastation and havoc of the magnitude 7.7 Nueva Ecija killer quake in 1990 when several buildings were heavily damaged, including the Hyatt Hotel in Baguio City. More than 2,000 lives were instantly lost in that catastrophe. Similar traumatic incidents were experienced during the Bohol earthquake in 2013 and the Luzon earthquake of August 1968 which triggered the destruction of the Ruby Tower in Manila that killed 268 of its residents.

The biggest fear that haunt many residents of Metro Manila these days is the dreaded ‘Big One’ because of the tremors that recently happened one after the other in Cebu and Western Visayas, Surigao, La Union and Davao region. This ‘Big One’ refers to the possible movement of the Valley Fault System that runs from Bulacan, the National Capital Region (NCR) to Laguna. The said fault system last moved in 1650 and, according to scientists, it moves every 400-600 years. Hence, we are nearing the lower margin of its movement cycle, though these are just estimates.

According to the comprehensive study done in 2004 by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the number of casualties is alarming. Possibly at least 30,000 can perish while more than 160,000 can be seriously injured with a magnitude 7.2 earthquake. Fires will happen and bridges will be destroyed and isolate communities. Millions of houses will be affected, and social unrest will follow. If this happens, the tremor will be felt not only in Metro Manila but also in the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Batangas.

Level up the preparations for strong earthquakes. To minimize the number of casualties and the damage that earthquakes can cause, we must significantly improve our preparations. First of all, the best are engineering solutions. Drills such as the ‘duck, cover and hold’ are crucial, but they are not enough. And these drills are mere reactions that are being harnessed as muscle memory during and after destructive tremors which usually are magnitude 6.5 or higher.

Our buildings, homes, infrastructure such as bridges must be able to withstand at least a magnitude 8.2 earthquake. This is only possible with the right architectural and engineering designs that must be compliant with the National Building Code of the Philippines. Meaning, qualified professionals must do the job of ensuring that designs strictly follow the required parameters that will safeguard the welfare of residents and travelers. Coupled with these designs is the quality of construction materials such as the steel reinforcements, cement and gravel used. There’s no room for sub-standard materials because of safety issues.

People are vulnerable to the killer weight of debris that would fall on them during the strong shaking that can destroy their roofs and walls. It’s not the movement that kills but the solid materials that are detached mainly because of poor design and inferior quality. Most susceptible are the houses of the informal settlers, which could number in the millions.

We must strictly enforce scientifically determined zonal plans. We have enough data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Phivolcs, the Department of Science and Technology which can guide us to safety in determining where to build communities. ‘No build zones’ means not to allow houses and other establishments to be constructed on them because of possible landslide, liquefaction and tsunamis. The warning must be taken literally. ‘No build zones’ do not mean otherwise. However, in our country, expediency overrules safety.

The logic here is clear: even if you have the proper design and quality of construction materials, your homes or buildings can still collapse if they are built in hazardous areas. And no amount of drills can save you from a structure that can collapse in a few seconds. Usually, killer quakes last less than a minute. Very seldom do strong tremors last for more than 60 seconds, though this happened in some areas such as in Chile during the magnitude 9.5 killer quake of 1960 where it lasted for more than 10 minutes.

The local government units must not compromise their obligation to fully inspect the construction of homes and buildings in their jurisdictions. They must approve only those construction applications that are going to be safe for their constituents. During construction also, the LGUs must have the capacity to efficiently inspect the compliance of actual works that must be based on the approved plans. And the ‘no build zones’ must be fully respected.

I’ve written several times already about this. I shall always still do so as long as it’s needed because people must be constantly reminded. Same with our officials, both in the national and local governments, they must be pushed to be vigilant with their sworn duty.

Under new leadership, the Office of the Ombudsman withdrew the cases filed involving the multi-million peso Pharmally scandal, citing the need for more details.

Newly appointed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said he ordered the pullout of six out of the eight cases filed before the Sandiganbayan.

“Yung wala pang arraignment ‘yun ang pinigilan natin, para mapag-aralan at makamada ng todo,” Remulla said in a press briefing. (We placed a hold on cases that have not yet had an arraignment to allow us to fully review and prepare the charges.)

Remulla questioned the integrity of the investigative process after consulting the Office of the Special Prosecutor, who informed him that they were not involved in drafting or proofreading the complaint.

He said there is a need for consistency, arguing that the work should stem from “one body of work” where the findings are mutually consistent.

“Tingin ko kasi, dapat diyan isang body of work dapat diyan. Para consistent with each other. Hindi ‘yan pwedeng isang fact-finding team, at pangalawang fact-finding team magkaiba yung resulta. One office contradicts another,” he said. (I think that it should be one body of work, consistent with each other. It cannot be one fact-finding team and the second fact-finding team with different results. One office contradicts another.)

“The Ombudsman must move as one,” he added.

Two of the cases, however, are already post-arraignment and are not to be withdrawn.

When asked how long will the Ombudsman review the cases, Remulla said: “It won’t be long.”

“Kasi nag-[preliminary investigation] naman niyan eh. Kailangan lang na ang resolusyon ay pag-aralan ng husto base sa lahat na nakalap na ebidensya sa pagdinig non, at sa lahat ng ebidensya na naroon o naririto sa tanggapan ng Ombudsman,” he said. (We just need the resolution to be studied based on all the collected evidence, based on the investigation and all the evidence that can be found in the case of the Ombudsman.)

Last year, the Office of the Ombudsman, led by former Ombudsman Samuel Martires, filed graft complaints against officials including former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and former Undersecretary Christopher Lao.

The complaints allege they illegally moved more than P41 billion from the DOH to the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.